A Lagos state High Court at Tafawa Balewa Square on Tuesday ordered convicted billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, to refund the sum of €233,000, ransom he coercively collected from one of his kidnap victims, Chief Donatus Dunu.
In addition, Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi ordered the convicted kidnapper to pay the sum of N50m as general damages in favour of the claimant.
Dunu, a pharmacist, was abducted on February, 14, 2017 and held hostage with ransom collected from his family, before he managed to escape from captivity.
Dunu, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Company, later filed a civil suit, praying the court to order Evans to return to him the €233,000 paid in ransom.
He demanded N50m general damages in addition.
However, in his defence, Evans contended that the strength of the claimant’s case was predicated majorly upon the criminal charge, marked 1D/5970C/2017 filed against him and others.
Evans said during his criminal trial, a witness, one Okagwu, said he delivered the €233,000 ransom by dropping it on the ground and fled thereafter.
He said though he was convicted the, the matter had gone on appeal.
But in his judgment, Justice Ogunjobi said Evans’ evidence was inconsistent evidence.
Justice Ogunjobi held, “Aside adducing conflicting pieces of evidence on oath, I have watched the demeanour of the defendant in the witness box when giving evidence and came to the conclusion that the defendant is not a witness of truth.
I do not believe his evidence. I accept the unchallenged and uncontroverted evidence of the claimant and his witnesses. The evidence support the reliefs sought by the claimant.
“Consequently, the claimant is entitled to be paid or repaid and or recover from the defendant, the sum of €233,000 ransom coercively paid by the claimant to defendant when the defendant kidnapped the claimant in the year 2017 and held the claimant hostage for months.”
